A heat sink is a passive heat exchanger that transfers the heat generated by an electronic or a mechanical device to a fluid medium, for example air or a liquid coolant, where heat is dissipated away from the device, thereby allowing regulation of the temperature of the device at desired levels. Heat sinks are used with high-power semiconductor devices such as power transistors and optoelectronics such as lasers and light emitting diodes (LEDs), where the heat dissipation ability of the component itself is insufficient to moderate its temperature.
A heat sink is designed to maximize its surface area in contact with the cooling medium surrounding it, such as the air. Air velocity, choice of material, protrusion design and surface treatment are factors that affect the performance of a heat sink. Heat sink attachment methods and thermal interface materials also affect the die temperature of the integrated circuit.
Open frame laser chips such as C-mount, B-mount, Q-mount, and F-mount copper packages, have typically been mounted on simple heat sinks. FIG. 1 shows a prior art C-mount arrangements for a laser chip, where the arrangements include an open laser cavity. It is desirable to protect the exposed facets of the laser chips from mechanical contact, foreign material, dust, and debris, as contaminated laser facets can cause immediate and permanent damage. For example, such damage could prematurely degrade the life of the laser. In particular, open frame laser chips may be vulnerable to heat damage or exposure to contamination when they are soldered, for example, to a printed circuit assembly.
High current/output power lasers also require adequately sized electrical connections to operate the laser. For example, harnesses for high current applications typically require large wire sizes, for example 5 AWG to 18 AWG and are also limited by the current rating of the crimp required to attach the wire to the mating connector. Further, properly sized electrical connections to the laser are typically large and bulky. Using large electrical connections and completely sealing the laser from outside elements has resulted in very large laser module solutions, for example sealed panel mounted electrical connectors with mounting hardware such as gaskets, washers, and nuts, which may be impractical for some applications. Therefore, there is a need in the industry to address one or more of the abovementioned shortcomings.